Deputy Minister of Safety and Security Joe Matthews has opened a probe into opposition claims of a possible cover-up and massive bungling by criminal justice officials in the Martin Whitaker murder investigation.
Whitaker was allegedly shot and killed by Dumisani Ncamazana, a former Azanian People’s Liberation Army cadre, in May. Ncamazana was one of 31 prisoners President Thabo Mbeki pardoned about two weeks before the murder.
The charges against Ncamazana and his two co-accused were withdrawn in August because of a lack of evidence. In a new twist this week, Ncamazana and his brother were rearrested by Eastern Cape police. Ncamazana was also charged with the murder of a taxi driver.
The Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions said on Wednesday that the state has new evidence that should lead to Ncamazana’s conviction.
Matthews told the Mail & Guardian he would still like to know if opposition statements about the police investigation into the Whitaker murder were justified.
He announced his investigation of the Whitaker murder case in Parliament last week, before Ncamazana was rearrested, while he was responding to questions from opposition parties.
Douglas Gibson, the Democratic Alliance’s chief whip, had charged that the state’s handling of the case had been an “unholy mess”. He asked if the bungle was a cover-up to save Mbeki from embarrassment, and whether the government would apologise to the victims.
“Whether or not the issue of an apology arose would emerge from the investigation,” said Matthews.
He said his investigation would determine if “the sweeping statements made by the Honourable Gibson were true or false”.